Filling unit

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a unit ( 1 ) for filling receptacles (B) with filling materials, especially for filling bag-shaped or tubular cases. Said filling unit ( 1 ) comprises a worm conveyor (F) which moves inside a housing ( 2 ) and is provided with at least two axially parallel worms ( 3, 4, 11 ) that run in the same direction or in opposite directions and encompass screw elements. The screw elements of the worms ( 3, 4, 11 ), which are arranged around each shaft ( 5, 6, 10 ), radially engage into one another and press the filling material from a feed opening (E) into the receptacles (B) that are removably fastened to an outlet orifice (A). The peripheral edges ( 7, 8, 12 ) of the screw elements have a minimum amount of clearance (S) relative to the internal surfaces of the housing ( 2 ) and the circumferences of the shafts ( 5, 6, 10 ). A duct ( 9 ) that receives and conveys coarse components of the filling material is disposed on the top surface of the housing ( 2 ).

The invention relates to a filling unit for filling containers with free-flowing filling materials, in particular for filling bag-shaped or hose-shaped shells with sand, grit, gravel, fill dirt or similar, which are used for constructing walls e.g. for protective structures, like e.g. guide rails along highways, levees and noise protection walls.

From the German Patent 349523, a conveyor screw or pump is known, in which plural screws, which run in the same direction, engage one another in a tightly enclosing housing, transporting free-flowing filling materials, wherein a mutually selfcleaning contact of the screw elements occurs.

This device has the disadvantage that coarse components of the filling material, e.g. stones included in the sand, which do not fit between the windings of the screw elements, can lead to blockages.

From EP 0642849 B1, furthermore, an encasement of sediments and silt with hose-shaped shells is known for underwater construction. The filling material with high water content is filled into a piston press and pressed into a cylinder shaped strand, which is inserted or wrapped into hose-shaped shell. The employed piston press, however, is necessary for draining filling material with high water content, but it is unsuitable for filling shells with substantially dry filling materials. The entire system furthermore requires stationary use, thus a respective onsite use is not possible.

It is the object of the invention to provide a filling unit for filling bag- or hose-shaped shells with filling materials, in which the coarse components in the filling material cannot lead to a blockage of the unit, and which is suitable for filling at any location.

The object is accomplished according to the invention through the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined by the features of the dependent claims 2 through 14.

The invention is subsequently described in more detail with reference to two preferred embodiments with reference to FIGS. 1 through 6.

FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a filling unit according to the invention according to a first preferred embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows the filling unit according to the invention of the first preferred embodiment in a perspective partial sectional view;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the filling unit according to the invention in the first preferred embodiment, in which the feeding of web material to a connecting device for connecting the longitudinal edges of the web material into a hose-shaped shell and its filling at the output opening of the filling unit is illustrated;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the filling unit according to the invention in another preferred embodiment, in which additional internal and external rattling and vibration devices are provided;

FIG. 5 shows a mechanically driven, axially moving internal rattling- and vibration device connected to a worm;

FIG. 6 shows a worm, which is connected at its rear portion with an axially moving internal rattling and vibration device, and connected at its front portion with an internal rattling and vibration device, moving in random directions.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the filling unit 1 according to the invention for filling containers B with filling materials, in particular for filling bag- or hose-shaped shells. A worm conveyor F is disposed in a housing 2 comprising three worms 3, 4, 11, which have parallel axes and which run in the same direction. The screw elements of the worms 3, 4, 11 radially engage into one another, and the peripheral edges 7, 8, 12 of the screw elements extend towards the inner surfaces of the housing 2 with a minimum clearance S with the exception of a channel 9, which is formed at the upper side of the housing 2. Through the radial engagement of the screw elements of the screws 3, 4, 11, coarse components, which have moved between adjacent windings of the screw elements, and which have caused blockages in worm conveyors of the state of the art, are conveyed out of the spaces between the adjacent screw windings of the two upper screw elements again, and are moved into the channel 9, configured above the screw conveyor F, and are transported in said channel at the peripheral edges of the screw elements to the output opening A of the filling unit 1 without any problems. In order to furthermore prevent that coarse components can move between the peripheral edges 7, 8, 12 of the screw elements and the inner surfaces of the housing 2, the housing 2 is configured, so that there is only a minimum clearance S between the peripheral edges 7, 8, 12 of the screw elements and the inner surfaces of the housing 2. When the filling material is poured into the filling opening E, e.g. coming from an excavator shovel or from a conveyor belt, larger coarse components cannot move between the peripheral edges 7, 8, 12 of the screw elements and the inner surfaces of the housing 2 due to the minimum clearance S. They remain in the channel 9 above the peripheral edges 7, 8 of the worms 3, 4 and are being transported at the peripheral edges 7, 8 of the screw elements in the channel 9 in the direction towards the output opening A. When smaller coarse components, which fit between two adjacent screw windings of one respective screw element of the upper screw elements, get there, they are kept out of the intermediary space or moved out of the intermediary space by the peripheral edge of the respective other radially engaging upper screw element, and they are also transported in the channel 9 to the output opening A at the peripheral edges of the screw elements. Furthermore, minimum clearance between the peripheral edges 7, 8, 12 of the screw elements relative to the circumferences of the shafts 5, 6, 10 assures that no smaller coarse components can move between the peripheral edges of the screw elements and the circumferences of the shafts 5, 6, 10 also in this location, so that a blocking of the components due to a penetration of smaller coarse components is also prevented here.

While at least two of the worms, which are disposed with parallel axes and run in the same direction, rotate in the same direction, the radially engaging screw elements perform a counter rotating movement at their peripheral edges, so that coarse components, which have penetrated, are safely removed from the space between two respectively adjacent screw windings again.

When screw elements with different running direction, this means right or left screw elements, are used, also counter rotating worms can engage one another.

The first preferred embodiment of the filling unit 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 whose worm conveyor F comprises three worms 3, 4, 11 is particularly effective for preventing blockages by coarse components and also for the safe and fast conveying of the filling material. The filling material filled into the filling opening E, e.g. by means of an excavator shovel using a filling funnel, slides between the screw windings of the worms 3, 4, 11 and is moved towards the output opening A by the movement of the worms. This conveying is a force conveying, this means the filling material conveyed by the worm conveyor F in the direction of the output opening A constantly presses against the filling material already present in the output opening A, as long as the filling unit 1 is moving.

FIG. 3 illustrates the filling unit 1 according to the invention while filling a hose-shaped shell, this means the container B. The hose-shaped shell is produced from web material by a connecting device V only directly before filling, wherein said web material is pulled from a feed device Z as evident in FIG. 3. The feed device Z illustrated in FIG. 3 is a web roll pull off device, on whose core the web material is wound up, which is to be fabricated into a hose-shaped shell by joining its longitudinal edges. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the feeding device Z is disposed behind the filling opening E for the filling material, viewed in feeding direction of the filling material. The web is pulled off from the feeding device Z and run below the filling unit 1 in the direction towards the output opening A, wherein the longitudinal edges of the web material are run around the circular output opening A in upward direction, so that the web forms a hose with a longitudinal seam, which is closed by the connection device V. The connection device illustrated in FIG. 3 is a sewing machine, which sews the overlapping longitudinal edges of the web material together. The hose-shaped shell produced in this manner is closed at its front side, e.g. also by sewing, and filled with filling material by the filling unit 1. The filling material, which constantly moves forward due to the force feeding of the filling unit 1, pushes the hose-shaped shell away from the filling unit 1, whereby web material is constantly pulled off from the feeding device Z and connected by the connection device V by connecting the longitudinal edges of the web material into a hose-shaped shell, which continuously increases in length. After filling of a length required for a certain application, the operation of the filling unit is temporarily stopped in order to separate the filled portion of the hose-shaped shell and to close its end. After closing the front end, the operation of the filling unit 1 can be continued for filling another hose-shaped shell. When the end of the hose web fed by the feeding device Z is reached, it can be connected to a new hose web, and this way the filling process can actually be continued with a continuous hose.

The feed of the web material pulled off by the feeding device Z is performed in the illustrated embodiment by the thrust, which is imparted upon the beginning of the sleeve-shaped shell by the filling material pressed in by the filling unit 1. The connection device V comprises a control device (which is not shown), which adapts the velocity of the connection of the longitudinal edges of the web material to the feed velocity of the worm conveyor F.

The feed of the web material can also be controlled by the control device. The connection of the longitudinal edges of the web material can be performed in a butt joint and also overlapping joint.

Various web materials can be used for forming sleeve-shaped shells, e.g. fabrics from natural materials or plastics, plastic foils, felt materials, etc. Depending on the material used, the connection device V is a sewing-, welding-, gluing- or fold connection device. The two longitudinal edges of the web material can also be provided with hook-and-loop fastener elements, and the connection device V is a guide device for joining the two longitudinal edges provided with hook-and-loop fastener elements in this case. Eventually, the connection of the longitudinal edges of the web material can also be performed by buttons, snap fasteners, rivets, magnets, threads, zip fastener elements or by engaging rubber bands with hooks or by other connection elements.

It is also possible to feed hose-shaped material to separate the hose longitudinally in front of the fill-in opening and to put it together again in front of the output opening as described supra.

FIG. 4 shows a filling unit 1, which is provided with additional internal and external rattling and vibration devices, Ri and Re. The external rattling and vibration devices Re comprise one or plural rattling- and vibration elements, contacting the container B, which are driven electromechanically, pneumatically, hydraulically or electromagnetically, etc. The external rattling- and vibration devices Re can be configured as point- or shaft-hub connections. The filling materials are compressed additionally through the vibrations imparted upon the container.

FIG. 5 shows a single worm 3, which is connected to an internal rattling and vibration device Ri, wherein said connection can be a torque proof axially movable point- or shaft-hub connection. The internal rattling and vibration device Ri imparts an axial reciprocating movement onto the worm 3. The axial reciprocating movement can e.g. also be driven by a cam drive, by a pneumatic piston, etc. (similar to hammer drills).

FIG. 6 eventually shows a worm 3, which is connected in the rear portion to an internal rattling- and vibration device Ri, described supra, which performs an axial reciprocating movement and which comprises an internal rattling- and vibration device Ri in its front portion, wherein said rattling and vibration device generates vibration through eccentricity or e.g. through electromagnetic actuation, wherein said vibrations occur in random directions. The internal rattling- and vibration device Ri disposed in the front portion of the worm can certainly also be used by itself.

Advantageously, as illustrated in FIG. 4, various internal and external rattling- and vibration devices Ri and Re are used in combination in order to accomplish a maximum additional compression of the filling material filled into the container B.

The driving of the worm conveyor F of the filling unit 1 is performed by known motors, e.g. electric motors, internal combustion engines, hydraulic motors or pneumatic motors, or by alternative drive systems like fuel cells. 

1. A filling unit for filling containers with filling materials, the filling unit comprising: a worm conveyor movable in a housing, the worm conveyor comprising at least two axially parallel worms, movable in the same or in opposite directions and provided with screw elements, wherein each of the screw elements of the worms are disposed about a respective shaft radially engaging one another to press the filling material from a filling opening into the containers that are removably mounted at an output opening, and wherein the peripheral edges of the screw elements only have minimum clearance) with respect to the inner surfaces of the housing and with respect to the circumferences of the shafts, wherein a channel for receiving and transporting coarse components of the filling material is provided at the upper side of the housing.
 2. The filling unit of claim 1, wherein the worm conveyor comprises two worms which are disposed in a plane next to one another.
 3. The filling unit of claim 1, wherein the worm conveyor comprises three worms and wherein the three worms comprise two upper worms that are disposed in a plane next to one another and a third worm centrally located below the two upper worms.
 4. The filling unit of claim 1, further comprising: a feeding device for web material; and a connection device for connecting the two longitudinal edges of the web material through a butt joint or through an overlapping joint to form a hose-shaped container.
 5. The filling unit of claim 4, wherein the connection device) is disposed between the filling opening and the output opening in the feeding direction, and the feeding device is disposed in front of the connection device in the feeding direction.
 6. The filling unit of claim 4, wherein the feeding device is a web roll pull off device that is driven or controlled by the feed of the worm conveyor.
 7. The filling unit of claim 4, wherein the connection device is controlled as a function of the feed of the worm conveyor.
 8. The filling unit of claim 4, wherein the connection device comprises a sewed connection, a welded connection, a glued connection, or a folded connection.
 9. The filling unit of claim 4, wherein the two longitudinal edges of the web material are provided with a plurality of hook-and-loop elements and the connection device comprises a guide device for joining the plurality of hook-and-loop elements.
 10. The filling unit of claim 4, wherein the connection device is a device which connects the longitudinal edges of the web material, by buttons and button holes, snap connectors, rivets, magnets, threads, zipper elements or engaging rubber bands with hooks.
 11. The filling unit of claim 1, further comprising: at least one rattling device or vibration device, the at least one rattling device or vibration device disposed externally to the filling unit, internally to the filling unit, or a combination thereof.
 12. The filling unit of claim 11, wherein the at least one internal rattling device or vibration device is an axially moving rattling device or vibration device, which is connected to the worms.
 13. The filling unit of claim 11, wherein the at least one internal rattling device or vibration device is a rattling device or vibration device which moves in any direction and which is connected to the worms.
 14. The filling unit of claim 11, wherein the external rattling device or vibration device comprises one or more plural rattling elements or vibration elements which contact the container.
 15. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the feeding device is a web roll pull off device that is driven or controlled by the feed of the worm conveyor. 